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Sunday, 16 February 2014

Posh Breakfasting: The Electric Diner

The Electric Diner is a cool place. Owned by Soho House, it is attached to a cinema of the same name where you can enjoy your film on the comfort of a sofa or an armchair. The restaurant looks like it was built in a big archway; a long bar is lined with stools, where chefs grill, fry, deep fry and assemble. Banquettes line the walls, with tables so wide they make dates awkward, though perfect for groups of friends. I've been once for dinner, and we sat at the bar sipping strong cocktails and eating shaved beef sandwiches, with plates of fries covered in cream sauce, topped with fried eggs. Sparkling crystals of salt adorned most of the Americana-style dishes. It was noisy and dark, boisterous and fun. We came back on rainy Sunday morning, the only place open at the ungodly hour of 9am. We were jet-lagged and hungry, confused by the hour of the morning that is so often unknown to us. Perched back again at the bar, the scene was quite different; couples feeding unruly children was the order of the morning. The breakfast menu reads like many; porridge and granola (why? why would you order that?) with fresh fruit, pastries, danishes. More to my tastes are the eggs benedict, the omelettes, the waffles. It was an easy decision to make.

My eggs benedict was made using top quality eggs, those with the startlingly, deliciously orange yolks. Muffin halves were toasted and - joy! - the ham was shown some time in the hot plate before being flopped on top, so that they were nice and crisp around the edges. Hollandaise was light and tart, generously covering the eggs. They still do the flakes of salt on top.

Afraid that the avocado on toast with a poached egg would be a little virtuous, we ordered the thickly cut peppered bacon to go with my boyfriend's breakfast. It was sweet and crisp, salty and thick. Not your average bacon. It defeated us.

Not one to be able to resist hash browns, I wondered what would warrant the £5 they cost. I found out - there was a veritable boat of them. I'm not complaining. I didn't eat again until 4pm.Electric Diner,191 Portobello Road,London, W11 2ED